


The Sternbild Files

by Xyliandra



Category: Tiger & Bunny, 闇の末裔 | Yami No Matsuei | Descendants of Darkness
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Character Development, Crossover, Developing Relationship, Established Relationship, Gen, M/M, Not Beta Read, Post-Series, Shounen-ai, Supernatural Elements, super hero
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-05
Updated: 2014-06-09
Packaged: 2018-01-26 18:00:12
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1697378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Xyliandra/pseuds/Xyliandra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A <a href="http://t-and-b-anon.dreamwidth.org/3254.html?thread=4516278#cmt4516278">T&B Anon Meme Prompt</a> fill. Spoilers for both series.<br/>Takes place during the time skip in episode 25 of Tiger & Bunny and after the Kyoto arc of Yami no Matsuei.</p><p>Asato Tsuzuki and Hisoka Kurosaki are sent to Sternbild to investigate supernatural occurrences involving Kotetsu T. Kaburagi. Officially, the shinigami are investigating a demon. Unofficially, there is a lot the case file is leaving out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Sterbild Files [Part 1]

**Author's Note:**

> First things first, we need to address the timeline/dates of this story. Tiger & Bunny obviously takes place in 1978, but Hisoka isn’t even born until 1980. Assuming he becomes a shinigami immediately after his death, the earliest Yami no Matsuei can take place is 1996. The tech in T&B is more advanced than YnM anyway, so let’s just pretend everything about Yami no Matsuei is the same, just about 20 years earlier to fit into Sternbild’s reality.
> 
> The first chapters contains a lot of background information on both series in order to acquaint everyone with the series and this new shared universe. I apologize that it isn't more exciting, but it is necessary in order to properly set the stage.
> 
> To differentiate between the different languages:  
> “I’m speaking in English.”  
> 「I’m speaking in Japanese. 」  
>  _{I am thinking, or sending telepathic messages, or experiencing feelings and sensory input via Empathy.}_

Emerald eyes glared at the clock on the wall. Hisoka angrily grabbed a manilla folder from the stack at the center of the conference table.「You might as well start the meeting Tatsumi-san,」the young shinigami suggested, his annoyance palpable to the room’s inhabitants.「We’ve waited 15 minutes already, and there’s no guarantee another 15 will make any difference.」

Tatsumi adjusted his glasses and lowered his head slightly, in the barest suggestion of a nod. 「It would really behoove him to be present given the particulars of the case,」 the sapphire eyed secretary began, voice only hinting at his displeasure,  but it cannot be helped. Wakaba, would you be so kind as to scribe notes on today's meeting for Tsuzuki?」

Hisoka hadn't noticed her come in. It must have been when he was mentally threatening his partner while glaring daggers at the clock. While her presence alone, and the absence of her overprotective partner, was interesting, Hisoka was far more intrigued by the fact she would be creating a transcript of the meeting's discussion;  that didn’t happen often. In fact, Hisoka could count of his hand the number of times he'd seen it done.

「As you may have surmised, the details of this case are of the utmost importance,」Tatsumi continued, 「They are also highly classified. It is paramount that you are thorough and discreet in this investigation. Now-」

Tatsumi was interrupted but the loud **_bang!_** of the door slamming against the wall as Tsuzuki barreled into the conference room.

「I am SO sorry T'tsumi! I really meant to be here on time, honest!」the brunet apologized breathlessly, frantically.「I would have too but-」

「I don't want to hear your excuses Tsuzuki,」Tatsumi interrupted coolly.

Hisoka roughly grabbed his partner’s arm and pulled him into a seat. He kept a hand on Tsuzuki’s forearm and projected _a {But I do}_ into Tsuzuki’s thoughts. The amethyst eyed shinigami cringed slightly, the physical contact amplifying the frustration and bewilderment behind the words. _{How the hell are you late?}_ Hisoka thought angrily, _{We left at the same time!}_

 _{Later,}_ Tsuzuki promised. _{And I technically left later so we didn't arrive together.}_

_{I meant a few minutes later! Not an hour!}_

_{Com'on, it hasn't been_ that _long yet…}_

Tatsumi cleared his throat and Hisoka jumped away from Tsuzuki as if he had been burned, a faint blush dusting his pale features.「If you two are quite finished, I would like to proceed with the meeting.」

Watari snickered and Hisoka heard the blond scientist’s faint teasing echoing in his thoughts. Hisoka shot him a glare, not amused by Watari’s lewd theory as to Tsuzuki’s tardiness, and pushed blocks around in his mind, fortifying his barriers to block out everything but Tatsumi’s voice.

「Wakaba,  please note the meeting has officially begun at 8:51.」 Hisoka fought the urge to flash an I-told-you-look in his partner's direction. Tsuzuki half waved at Wakaba, and the young miko smiled back at him before starting her notes.「As I had been telling those who were punctual,  he shot a pointed glance at Tsuzuki, who had the decency to look sheepish, 「this case is classified. You are to make every effort to be discreet. The Summon Bureau will be sending both of you to Sternbild for your next case,」Tatsumi explained, cueing up maps and photographs of the multilayered city.

「Sternbild?」 repeated Tsuzuki, looking perplexed. 「That doesn’t look like any city in Japan.」

「That would be correct. Sternbild is located in North America.」

「Now hang on a second,」 Tsuzuki pushed off the table and stood from his chair, his displeasure evident on his face. 「Why are we being sent all the way to North America? They’ve got their own shinigamis, or whatever they call themselves. There’s no reason to leave our region abandoned to clean up whatever messes they can’t-」

Hisoka placed a hand on Tsuzuki’s arm, placating the older shinigami somewhat. 「Does this have to do with Muraki?」 he asked calmly. Tsuzuki’s eyes widened at the perverse doctor’s name. Hisoka felt his anger flare up again, removing his hand before the intensity overwhelmed him.

「Not exactly,」 Watari answered. He opened his mouth, as if to say more, but blinked a few times and closed it instead. 「But I think I’m jumpin’ ahead here. We should probably stick to the script and save the questions for the end.」 Hisoka nodded. Tsuzuki made no move to return to his seat.

「Dammit Tsuzuki, sit down and let Tatsumi finish,」 the emerald eyed man grumbled. Tsuzuki reluctantly sank back into his chair.

「As you are aware, there are individuals who possess supernatural powers.」Hisoka fought the urge to roll his eyes; everyone in the department fell into that category. 「There are five classifications of supernatural powers, and a myriad of abilities that fall into these categories. These abilities present at varying intensities in a percentage of the population, though a much smaller percentage have abilities strong enough that they are aware of and have the potential to control their abilities.

However, several decades ago, record numbers of individuals with supernatural abilities began showing up in Sternbild. Even the ministry is not entirely sure what caused this influx, however, the leading theory is that something amplified latent abilities that would be overlooked in other regions. Due to the widespread development of supernatural abilities, the populations of Sternbild and its surrounding cities are aware of these individual and refer to them as “ **N.E.X.T.** ”」

The acronym was projected on the screen, the meaning displayed below it. Tsuzuki frowned.

「Or noted entities with extraordinary talents.」

This translation popped up in smaller text below the English phrase.

「The N.E.X.T. are more or less accepted by the majority of the population, though discrimination still exists. This is due in large part to the popularity of "Hero TV Live", which showcases a dozen N.E.X.T. as superheroes defending the city. Given the demographics of Sternbild,  and the visibility of N.E.X.T., Muraki is a concern,」 _because any one of them might be 'useful' in his 'research',_ was left unspoken, 「however, we have no reason to believe he is in Sternbild at this time. 」

Tsuzuki relaxed visibly. Hisoka unclenched the fists he hadn't realized he was making.

「It not Muraki then...?」Tsuzuki trailed off, brow furrowed in confusion.

「You will be investigating a man by the name of Kaburagi Kotetsu. He is a N.E.X.T. and was previously employed as a hero at Apollon under the alias of "Wild Tiger". His ability allows him to increase his physical abilities one-hundred fold for 5 minutes. He was partnered Barnaby Brooks Jr.,  a N.E.X.T. and hero with an identical ability, until their mutual retirement last winter.

In the months prior to his retirement,  Kaburagi's abilities started to decline and he was able to maintain his ability for progressively shorter amounts of time. This is extremely rare, and there are only a handful of documented occurrences.  Our department has encountered this phenomenon once, according to surviving records.」

「Oh, I remember that case,」Tsuzuki stated, sounding slightly surprised. 「It wasn’t in my jurisdiction,  but I was here when it was under investigation. 」

Tatsumi nodded slowly. 「It was near the beginning of your career, I believe. Your familiarity with this phenomenon is part of the reason you two are being put on the case.」

「But I was a rookie, I didn’t-」

「But you are a primary source of information. You may be able to fill in missing details that can help detangle the case.」

「You said part of the reason,」 Hisoka observed, flipping through the case file.

「Correct. We noticed a... discrepancy while pulling information for the case file,」 Tatsumi explained cautiously.

Hisoka’s eyes narrowed slightly. 「What do you mean discrepancy?」

Watari interjected, voice filled with mirth, 「Kaburagi's name appeared on the kiseki months ago.」


	2. The Sternbild Files [Part 2]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is also heavy on exposition, but I promise they actually get out of the office and start interacting with the cast of Tiger & Bunny.
> 
> “I’m speaking in English.”  
> 「I’m speaking in Japanese. 」  
>  _{I am thinking, or sending telepathic messages, or experiencing feelings and sensory input via Empathy.}_  
>  =====

「His name is in the Catalog of the Dead,」 Hisoka repeated, weighing the implications of Watari’s declaration as he spoke.

「The Gushoshin brothers are usually on top of everything, but a backlog isn’t unheard of,」Tsuzuki voiced, but the doubt was etched on his face.

「It’s not just a matter of backlog,」 Watari replied, eyes bright as his lips twitched upward. 「His name _was_ in the Catalog of the Dead.」

「Was?」 Hisoka and Tsuzuki asked at nearly the same time.

「 _Was_.」 Watari smiled broadly. 「As in, it’s not in there any more.」

Tsuzuki’s brow furrowed as he considered this information.「I didn’t think that was even possible,」he mused seriously.

「It shouldn’t be,」Watari agreed. 「Once a person is dead, they typically stay dead. And even when they don’t...」

「Maria Wong’s name stayed in the kiseki even after Muraki revived her,」Hisoka finished.

「Exactly!」

For a few long minutes no one spoke. Hisoka reached out to his partner with his mind, but was met with cold walls that hinted at no emotions. He turned his gaze to Tatsumi, knowing he would be unable to read the shadow master, but interested in his lack of input.

「This isn’t something that should happen,」the young blonde stated,  keeping his eyes trained on Tatsumi. The secretary looked back at him for a long moment, before closing his eyes and adjusting his glasses.

「No, names shouldn’t be removed from the kiseki,」Tatsumi agreed levelly.

「I don’t understand how a name can just disappear from the list,」Tsuzuki frowned, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. 「If the name disappeared, how do you know it was there in the first place?」

Watari clutched his chest in a theatrical fashion.「Why Tsuzuki, you doubt my findings?」he pouted dramatically. 「I’m going to cry myself to sleep tonight.」

Hisoka rolled his eyes at the scientist’s antics. 「Tsuzuki has a point you know.」

「There is documentation that the occurrence needed no further investigation,」Tatsumi supplied.

「But the documentation says virtually nothing about anything! The security surrounding it is just short of ridiculous considering how little can actually be gained from the file!」Watari enthused, beaming. 「It’s positively _fascinating_!」

「If this needed no further investigation, why are we including it in our investigation?」Tsuzuki asked, expression still serious. 「It sounds like this information isn’t something we happened to stumble upon. It sounds like Watari went specifically digging for it.」

Watari sighed slightly, 「Well, you got me there. The original case file was sincerely lacking, so I went looking for more information. The file from our servers makes it sound like some sort of mistake that Kaburagi’s name got in there, but when you factor in everything else, well, really it’s obvious that’s just a cover up.」Watari picked up a manila folder and grinned. 「Officially, you are investigating Kaburagi’s diminishing abilities. As a formerly-sponsored hero, he should have been monitored by a team of doctors, scientists, and what have you to ensure he’s performing properly. But when combing their files, I didn’t find a whole lot on his power loss. It’s not even mentioned until he announces his retirement, so either the data on it is somewhere else or he kept it a secret.」

「That’s information neither party would want getting out,」Tsuzuki commented.

「He retired immediately after unraveling a giant conspiracy within Hero TV Live, and his sponsor company, which ended in an epic battle. A spectacular way to go out, really. So, naturally, I went looking for more information on this show down. What I found, oh, you just have to see it.」

Watari’s fingers moved across the the laptop keyboard with quick precision, his eyes bright with excitement and his mouth spread into a wide grin.

「Getting the stuff took some serious digging,」Watari explained.「But you could hardly expect Dr. Saito to just leave this kind of information just lying around! And his firewalls are, naturally,  top-notch. To be able to deconstruct his work like that was just-」

「Watari,」Tatsumi interrupted, his tone hinting at a warning.

「Right,  right. Sorry. We have the data from both suits, some of the communications transmissions between the suits, footage a bug was transmitting,  and the CCTV footage. And we know Dr. Saito was responsible for some sort of technological intervention, but I tripped an alarm and got locked out before I could copy those logs.」

「Dr. Saito?」Hisoka queried, as the scientist paused for a quick breath.

「He’s the mechanical engineer responsible for the suits Kaburagi and Brooks wear as heroes. He’s remarkable. His work with…」he trailed off as he felt Tatsumi’s eyes narrow at his tangent. 「Anyways. Your case files include the data logs and transcripts and all that jazz buuuut,」 Watari cued up a file on the laptop giddily. 「Text just doesn't do the video from Brooks' suit justice.」

 

> The screen is filled with the sight of a black and pink armored suit in some sort of warehouse. Wild Tiger comes up behind it and wraps his arms under the other suit to hold it in place.
> 
> “Now Bunny!” he yells. The camera footage stills. "Take this thing down with that!"
> 
> "What?" The camera angle shifts to a giant gun to the left. "What about you?"
> 
> "Don't worry about me. I'll dodge before it hits." A pink and white armored hand reaches out to grab the gun, the sound metal scraping filling the warehouse. The camera shifts back to where Wild Tiger was struggling to maintain its hold on the other suit.
> 
> "But-"
> 
> "I'll be alright. Hurry up and fire it." The gun wavered in shaky hands. "Hurry Bunny!"
> 
> A moment of eerie silence. A deep breath. Then the screen was filled with bright light as the gun fired a large burst of energy.
> 
> The camera re-adjusts to the darkness of the room. A trail of smoldering debris leads to the enemy suit. Suddenly, the pink and black suit explodes in another bright flash of light.
> 
> The camera's optics take longer to adjust this time.
> 
> "We did it Kotetsu." The camera pans, looking for the other hero. "Kotetsu!" The camera slows on white and green armor, curled in on itself. "What's wrong?"
> 
> Wild Tiger rolls over. The armor is shattered, exposing Kotetsu's head and torso. Barnaby Brooks Jr. drops to the floor and pulls the other hero into his arms.

 

Hisoka flinched as panic and pain washed over him.

 

> "Sorry I got hit," the prone man grinds out.
> 
> "What?"
> 
> "I guess it's hard to dodge without my powers. Damn. And it had to happen during our only chance."
> 
> "Why have your powers run out? You still have time left..."
> 
> "To tell you the truth my powers can barely lasts for 4 minutes." Barnaby gasps. "It's been declining."

 

_{The cleaver cut through Hisoka’s flesh easily. His blood splattered onto the floor. And window. And onto Tsuzuki’s clothes. It dripped from his fingers as he stared down at the broken body before him. The pool of blood contrasted against Hisoka’s pale skin.}_

Hisoka grabbed Tsuzuki’s hand, squeezing it tight.

_{I’m right here Asato. It’s okay. I’m okay.}_

He closed his eyes and focused on dispelling the shared vision.

 

> "No... when did this happen?"
> 
> "For several months now," Kotetsu laughs weakly, "It was tough trying to keep it a secret from you."
> 
> "Why didn't you tell me something so important?"
> 
> "Because you'd worry about me.”

 

_{But if anything ever happened-}_

_{It won’t.}_ The video kept playing, but Hisoka kept his eyes trained on Tsuzuki instead.

Tatsumi didn’t miss the way Tsuzuki trembled. He glanced over at Watari and the look on the other man’s face told him he hadn’t either.

“Do they really think we don’t know?” Watari mumbled, shaking his head. Tatsumi couldn’t help but smile fondly and nodded to Watari.

 

> Tears fall onto Kotetsu’s chest. Kotetsu’s eyes tear up as well. He is pulled closer to the camera.
> 
> “Too close, pal… Hey, you have pretty long eyelashes…” Brown eyes close, unshed tears caught on dark lashes.

 

Watari tapped the space bar. Both he and Tatsumi looked over to the partnered shinigamis.

「He wakes up later,」 Watari stated loudly, pausing to allow the two to pretend that they hadn't missed the final minutes of the footage.「But I would venture to guess that this is when his name was written in the kiseki. I looked at the specs of that gun, and he would have to have shinigami level healing to survive that energy output.」

「Kaburagi states that his diminished powers are the reason he was unable to avoid the attack, making the incident with the kiseki relevant to your investigation,」 Tatsumi added.「Watari has already downloaded all the video, audio, and technical files to your laptop. As he stated previously, transcripts are also included in the physical case files.」Tatsumi turned off the projector. 「We’ve exhausted our resources on this end. You will be traveling to Sternbild this evening to begin the investigation immediately. Do you have any questions before you are dismissed?」

Hisoka felt panic flood through him, and he at Tsuzuki questioningly.

「Does Kaburagi speak Japanese?」he asked meekly.

Tatsumi’s eyes softened. 「He does, but Japanese is not the predominant language in Sternbild.」

「I figured,」the amethyst eyed shinigami grumbled softly.

「I've been working on a translation device, but it’s not quite finished yet,」Watari stated with an apologetic smile. 「I can bring it to you once it’s done though.」

「You’ll be starting to your investigation in Oriental Town. A fair portion of the population will speak Japanese. You should be able to communicate with minimal complications,」Tatsumi assured with a warm smile.

「My English is fluent. I can play interpreter when necessary,」Hisoka added. 「We’ll be fine.」

Tatsumi nodded in agreement. “Are there any other concerns?」Tsuzuki shook his head. 「In that case, you are dismissed. I expect you to prepare for your departure. Hisoka, if you could meet me in my office in precisely 15 minutes, I would like to discuss finances and accommodations for the trip.」

**Author's Note:**

> You can find additional author's notes for this story under the [Sternbild Files tag](http://myrabidpetspoon.livejournal.com/tag/the%20sternbild%20files) on my livejournal.


End file.
